Graduation Day

After 7 months of training, studying and taking tests, Billy’s big day arrived on Tuesday, September 28th in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the US State Department. He and his fellow colleagues graduated and received their credentials.

We were thankful to have been able to share the special day with his mom, two sisters, nephew and our good friend Eileen. When the director called Billy’s name up to the stage, I couldn’t help but feel proud of all my husband’s accomplishments. A quick flash back of when we first started dating came to mind. We met at Sea World when we were 17 and during our lunch breaks we would have long chats about what we wanted from life, relationships, and about the future. Now here we are. We’re finally seeing our hard work and accomplishments unfold before our very eyes, and that is truly a gratifying feeling.

We’ll be posted in DC for the next 2 years. Billy has been selected to a very important assignment, which will require alot of travel time. When he’s home our time together will be extra special, and once he begins to accumulate some comp time, we hope to extend some of his travels overseas, so I can accompany him from time to time.

Now begins a new journey for me as well. The world is my oyster. What’s my calling? There are so many various directions and paths to consider. We’ll see what unravels.

Fiesta Mexicana at the Kennedy Center

Last night Billy and I had a wonderful time at the Kennedy Center. They hosted a Fiesta Mexicana to celebrate Mexico's Bicentennial Independence Day. Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not the celebration of Mexico's Independence Day. The El Grito de la Indepedencia (Cry of Independence) is held annually on Sept. 16th in honor of Mexico's Independence from the Spanish rule in 1810.

We had read about this event a few days prior, and got excited to see that the headliner band was Ozomatli, an urban Latino band from Los Angeles, which we've been following for quite a few years now. Their music is full of energy...a little salsa, hip hop, merengue, cumbia, samba and funk. The stage was set up on the the side of the Kennedy Center, and the place was packed. Best of all, this concert was completely free. That's one of the things I love about DC; there's always free events. Anyway, dancing outside in the dark with a group of people, over looking the Potomac River couldn't have made for a better Wednesday evening.

Arlington is "home" for now

I have only been away from Beaufort a little over two months, yet it seems much longer. So much has happened over the last few months that once we unpacked and got settled into our apartment it took me a couple of weeks to decompress and take it all in. It still seems surreal that we’re actually living in Arlington. Our apartment is feeling more and more like a home. Yes, it’s small, but it meets all our needs. I do miss having a house with a guest room and a yard for Dante “Dewey” to run around in, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t have room to complain.

Lately, I have been enjoying staying at home and playing tourist in my own town. How could I not be? There’s so much to do and see. I plan to keep the fire burning inside of me. I am always curious and I love to explore. No matter if I am in the finest city in the world, or the poorest little town in Brazil, I will take the time to step out of my comfort zone, venture out and learn about my surroundings and meet new people.

Once I finally get used to the idea of calling Arlington “ home “it will be time to move again. It’s just a known fact about the Foreign Service, you don’t stay somewhere for too long. Moving will become a part of our lives. Right now, there are many changes happening in our lives. There has been so much new information thrown our direction that most of the time I feel like a little fish in a big ocean of possibilities; mostly positive, but some negative too. In the meantime, I’m learning to embrace the chaos, be flexible, and to just throw myself into this new lifestyle.

Yippppeeee!!! Lease signed!!!

We're still in Winchester, Va, but we signed a lease for an apt in Arlington, Va. After the initial shock of the monthly rent subsided, we felt excited to have a place to call home. We get our keys on the 31st of this month.

Our apartment is small (1bd, 1ba), we decided to go with less space so we could live in a great location. We're only 5 miles from DC, 2 miles from the Pentagon, and only minutes away from Old Town Alexandria. Besides all the great amenities, there are endless amounts of shops and restaurants, all within walking distance. The complex has a dog park, and a bike trail (30+ miles long) literally across the street from us. I can't wait to begin decorating.

Homeless, but "not" really

We're now officially homeless. After packing out, Billy's sister took pity on me and Dante and let us stay with her for 10 days until Billy finished with training in Georgia. My last few days in Beaufort were very special. I was able to spend quality time with close friends and family, go to my favorite restaurants and coffee shops, enjoy the water and the beautiful Beaufort scenery. It's funny how we start falling in love with an area all over again right before we leave.

We started our journey towards the Northern Virginia area on Independence Day. Billy didn't have to report to work/training until Tuesday so we decided to take our time, enjoy the scenery and break up the trip into 2 days. The drive up I81 was gorgeous. It's definitely farm country...lots of rolling hills with cute little towns tucked away in between the mountains.

We stayed over night in the quaint little town of Lexington, Va. We'd never heard of it before, but when we drove through the town to look for a hotel, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only is this the coolest small town with it's French feel and little boutiques, but it has 2 prestigious schools: Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute (oldest state supported military college in the US). Once we got settled in, we toured around, had dinner and watched the fireworks display that the university puts on every year. The following day, we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast and promised each other that in the near future, we'd be back to explore the area a little more.

We're now living out of a hotel in Winchester, Va until the first week of August. Our hotel room is nice and spacious, it even has a kitchenette. We're right outside of the Shenandoah National Park and there are tons of Civil War battlefields to explore. We're surrounded by different ethnic restaurants so we've been spoiling ourselves with various cuisine from around the world. A few days ago, me and a friend went and ventured to the nearby town of Front Royal. It's yet another small town with tons of great antique shops.

Even though we're sort of homeless, and I miss my home, friends and family; being next to my husband is priceless. Plus, we're surrounded by new friends who are sharing similar experiences and that makes this transition a little easier.

"Pack Out"

"Pack Out" was on Thursday, June 24th. The movers pulled up to the house around 9:30 am, accessed everything that needed to be packed, and within 3.5hrs our belongings were in boxes and in the moving truck, on it's way to be stored somewhere in Maryland until further notice.

Once the house was bare and empty I felt mixed emotions of sadness and happiness. Memories started coming back to when we first stepped inside and fell in love with our home. Billy and I had lived in several places, but had always rented. This house was different because we bought it after many years of hard work. It was special because it truly was "our" home.

When we first learned that Billy had been hired with the Dept. of State, we decided to put our house up for sale. After several months of it being on the market and no bites, we let the contract expire and listed it as a rental. I believe things happen for a reason. Just maybe our first home still wants to remain a part of our lives for a little longer.

Still in Beaufort...

It's not a bad thing, but we're still in Beaufort. We've had to lower our listing price on our house in hopes to get more lookers and potentially a buyer.

Billy is half way done with his training in Georgia. He's been able to come home every weekend, and for that I'm grateful.

Every Friday, I get butterflies in my stomach and rush down to pick him up with Dante "Dewey". My side kick, Dante, loves to tag along. By now, he knows Friday is the day we go pick up daddy. Usually when we get to the training facility, Billy is waiting outside of the gates with his little suitcase and a bag of dirty laundry. He prefers doing laundry at home, he says, his clothes smell better. Before, we begin our drive back to Beaufort, we stop at Starbucks for some coffee and munchies. We're back home in no time because we've been busy chatting and catching up.

Our weekend consists of hanging out 24/7. Occasionally, we hang out with family or friends, but mainly we're selfish and spend every waking moment together. We've been taking the time to enjoy Beaufort as much as we can, and that's been refreshing. Beaufort was the stepping stone to Billy's new career. My goals of acquiring a massage therapy license and having my own business were achieved here. Our wonderful friends and Billy's family reside here. We bought our first home, and we adopted our dog "Dewey" here. Beaufort has been good to us. When the time comes to say, "sayonara", it'll be a little tough.